What are the advantages of viable cell count?

There are several advantages of viable cell count. One advantage is that it provides a direct measure of the number of living cells in a sample, offering quantitative data on microbial populations. Another advantage is its specificity. It specifically targets live cells, allowing researchers to assess the actual number of cells capable of growth and reproduction. Additionally, viable cell count methods are able to count culturable cells, which are often the ones of interest in applications where live microbial activity is important.